His Majesty the King granted audience to the fifth batch of Desuups at the Military Training Centre in Tencholing, Wangduephodrang yesterday. Addressing the Desuups, His Majesty commended the services rendered by them and their unprecedented enthusiasm. The Desuups are currently undergoing the month long programme.

Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam Party submitted its application for registration with the Election Commission of Bhutan today. It is the first party-in-making to register with ECB. The Party made its intention to contest in the next elections public earlier in June.

(Annual Drukpa Council Update): The participants of the Fourth Annual Drukpa Council at Hemis monastery in Ladakh broke the previous world record of planting most saplings. They planted more than 99,000 saplings in 50 minutes yesterday. This was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. The target was 100, 000 trees in an hour. Close to 10,000 people participated in the plantation.

More than 300 households in Dungtoe Gewog in Samtse have been electrified last Thursday. At the inauguration, the Education Minister, Thakur Singh Powdyel, briefed the gathering about the importance of electricity in the changing world.

First three adult black necked cranes arrived in Phobjikha on Saturday. It was followed by five new arrivals on Sunday. Another 24 added to the number yesterday making it to 32 cranes in the Phobjikha valley.

Normally when a person grows old, the only desire would be to age with dignity and grace. But for a 76-year-old man in Gelephu that has not been the case. For the last two years he has been put-up in a temporary shed made of CGI sheets by his daughter and son in law. Hailing from Punakha, he nad come to Gelephu to live with his daughter about four years back.

Away from their daily duties of rituals and comfort in books, monks are a step closer to take an ICT to a new height in the Country. Launched in 2010, Chiphen Rigpel is an inclusive ICT project preparing even monks in national aspiration of an IT enabled knowledge economy.